“I always wanted a pixie cut, but I was afraid of the drastic change. I’m always motivated by a challenge, so I set a goal to help raise money to help women who are trapped in the sex industry,” Blair McLeod said.

An “anxiously excited” Blair McLeod is seen before getting her hair cut. / Jae S. Lee / The Tennessean

The Nashville resident set a goal of $1,200, enough to help three women, raising money online for The Pixie Project.

Raising the money, according to McLeod, meant bringing three women out of prostitution, helping them receive counseling and job training for an entire year, while also providing spiritual guidance, daycare and/or school fees for their children and medical expenses for both mother and child.

At the end of the month-long effort, The Pixie Project raised $2,501. And McLeod was on her way to a super short — and chic — cut.

Was she afraid to cut the nearly 14 inches from her hair?

“I was anxiously excited about the cut, but it felt so good. I had to tell the stylist that if I start crying it is not because I don’t like it; it is because this isn’t just a haircut,” McLeod said.

McLeod says the response to her new look has been amazing.

“It was almost like a big reveal because everyone knew I was working toward getting the cut. Everyone loved it. If I hadn’t tied the cut to raising money for these women, I never would have done it. But I am so glad I did.”

Reach Cathi Aycock at diva@tennessean.com. Follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dailycrave and on Twitter at @tndailycrave.